Reborn Identity

"If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." 2 Corinthians 5:17

One of my favorite movies is The Bourne Identity. The main character, Jason Bourne, suffers from a severe amnesia that leaves him haunted, frustrated, and confused.

A lot of us live like Jason Bourne. Our stories are not as dramatic but the issues are the same: Who am I, and does anyone care? We run from relationship to relationship, social event to social event, job to job, or even church to church, trying to “find ourselves.” And if we seek our sense of identity in our career, who will we be when we retire?

But there’s good news for “identity seekers.” We can have a significant and secure identity in a relationship with Jesus.

Although God made us in His image (Gen. 1:27), sin ravaged our souls and denied us the joy of a relationship with our Creator. Our identity as His prized and precious creation was damaged—until Jesus Christ came on the scene to rescue us and reclaim His created ones for His own (see Rom. 5:12-19). When we trust Christ for salvation, we gain the privileged status of being “in Him.” He takes all that is old and makes it new.

Once you realize that you are a new creation, your identity crisis will be over.

When we’re reborn—made new in Christ—
It should be plain for all to see
That God has changed us from within
And placed us in His family. —Sper

About Joe Stowell

Joe serves as the President of Cornerstone University in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Cornerstone supports his web ministry, Strength for the Journey, which features daily devotionals, video devotionals, and weekly messages with downloadable study guides.

Joe and his wife, Martie, are the parents of three adult children and ten grandchildren.